What Pepper Said
by Kathryn Claire O'Connor
Summary: A set of largely unconnected one-shots each centered around Pepper/one of the Avengers in a soulmark AU. *stories are better than summary*
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, I've decided to try my own hand at writing a soulmate AU, so here it is, the first of seven one-shots, each of which are going to feature Pepper.**

**(What Now?) Pepperony**

**This is inspired by the "Iron Man: Armored Adventures" cartoon, especially since I'm pretty sure the back-story here doesn't fit into canon all that well anywhere else.**

* * *

At sixteen years old, Virginia Potts was the second-best in her class, and it was a title that she was very much proud of. After all, she'd worked hard for it.

Maybe that's why she was so irritated by the sudden presence of Tony Stark in her school… Before his appearing here – after the death of his parents and his moving in with his best friend's family, so the story went – Virginia had been the top student and Tony Stark had taken that from her.

She should pity him for everything that he had been through recently, and she knew that – but it really was hard to do that most of the time, considering that he was… well, Tony! He'd never spoken to her directly before, but everyone knew who he was – and he knew that they all knew. He was a slacker and a player, yet he still managed to get the best grades in their class. Not fair!

And now Mr. Sanchez wanted them to partner up for the most recent science project? Really? Doubly not fair! Any other girl in this room would be swooning over the idea, but Virginia was just not any other girl.

After Mr. Sanchez listed off their names, Virginia got a text – right there in the middle of class! – from Tony – _W__ait a second, __how __did he get my number?! You know what, it's probably best not to ask _– that said, Meet me in the library after school.

She sighed deeply, but nevertheless, trudged into the library at the appointed time. She glanced around and spotted Tony sitting at a table in the middle of the room, head bent over something or another. Though he looked perfectly harmless right now, she still didn't want to go over there and unnecessarily expose herself to his douche-iness. Unfortunately, Mr. Sanchez had made it entirely too necessary.

Marching over, she dropped her backpack heavily onto the floor when he didn't register her presence and declared, deciding to put on a brave face, "Hi, I'm Virginia."

Suddenly his head snapped up, eyes blowing wide as he asked with a surprised bark of laughter, "Your parents named you what now?!"

What did he think she'd said? "Virginia. I just said my name was Virginia."

His entire expression changed again as he said slowly, "Did you now?"

"What's wrong with that?" she asked sharply – and then something hit her and she realized _exactly_ what was wrong with that.

She paled, falling down into the seat across from him as she recalled the words he'd said. _"__Your parents named you what now?!" _Those words. The words. _Her _words – the ones that had been wrapped around her ankle when she was born.

"Oh, _no_!" she said faintly, unable to do anything but stare at him.

At least he seemed to be having the same trouble figuring out what to do next. Eventually he shifted uncomfortably, looking away from her as he muttered, "I take it you don't like me?"

"I don't like your reputation!" she responded instantly. "The way you treat girls – and people in general – is horrible!"

"I can do better for you," he responded instantly, gaze flying back to her, and the earnestness in them gave her pause.

Something in her faltered as she asked, not quite gently, but not at all harshly, "Why should I believe you?"

"Because I've lost almost _everyone _I love this year, few as that number already was, and I don't want to lose you too."

Virginia considered herself a capable, level-headed person, and a good judge of character, and of honesty, besides. Sitting directly across from someone like Tony was, there was no way you could fake the sincerity she saw in his eyes and heard in his words.

But she was still leery, and said, _"__You don't know me from Adam, though."_

A smile played about Tony's face as he gave what he could see of her a once-over as he pointed out, "Maybe not from Eve, babe." Virginia glared and Tony sobered again, adding seriously, "But I'd like to… if you'll give me a chance?"

She looked at him for a long minute, really looked at him as it occurred to her anew that she'd just _met her soulmate__. _And when that thought hit home, she had to fight getting really, really excited. But she still had to think this out, right?

"This science project is due in two weeks; let's see how well we've done together at the end of that time period, okay?"

"And if we do 'well,' what then?" Tony inquired with a suggestive smile that made Virginia weak in the knees.

_W__ait, what?!_

She managed to shrug, knowing by the widening of his grin that he caught the tremor in her voice as she suggested, "Then we go out to lunch or something."

Tony sighed quietly, but replied, sounding a little resigned to the pace that she wanted to take this at – and yes, she reminded herself sternly, she _did _want to take this slowly – "Fair enough."

"So!" she said a little too loudly, before she said something that she was going to regret later. "Project!"

Tony blinked, having obviously been caught off guard by the change of subject, but he recovered quickly and replied, "Yeah, okay. Project. That's, ah, what I was working on when you came in."

Virginia scooted her chair to the other side of the table, right next to his, as he pointed to what he'd been scribbling on his notepad at her entrance.

And if he put his arm around her shoulders as he explained his idea… well, maybe that was okay; he did smell really good after all. If she curled into him while they continued to talk, then so what? It was cold in the library, and he was warm. And if he wanted to make sure she was good and warm by kissing her when the librarian eventually told them to get out so she could lock up for the day, well then, that two week limit she'd just set could go play in traffic.

They were teenagers, he was a cute guy, he was being genuine for once, he was her soulmate… and she trusted him."

Hey, Tony," she asked curiously as they walked out of the library hand in hand. "What did you think I said when we met?"

"Nothing you'd appreciate, sweetheart – but I think you look more like a 'Pepper,' anyway."

* * *

**Now I have a strange question: Do any of you know of someone who might be willing to write a Rogue (from the X-men)/Ruby (from Once Upon A Time) crossover?  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**In this one we're just saying that Coulson is a very intuitive person who goes out on a limb for a hunch.**

**(Legal) Platonic Pepper/Natasha**

**Set during Ironman 2. **

* * *

Natasha Romanoff did not trust many people; however Phil Coulson was among those rare few – on most days. _This day_? This day was not one of those days. He _knew _– her overly-detailed profile ensured that he knew – _exactly _what her soulmark words were. So what the h*** was his game, because he _obviously _suspected something about this most recent undercover op that she was about to go on. There was no way that he couldn't, and no way that he could hide that he did, either.

At least he wasn't trying to screw around with her black soulmark words; the ones she was concerned with right now were her silver ones. She thought she could live with it if her eventual meeting with her platonic soulmate got screwed up beyond repair; she didn't have a best friend in Clint around for nothing.

But still… when Phil Coulson knew full-well that her silver words were_ I'm so glad to meet you, Natalie-from-legal; take a seat, _she didn't think he had any business whatsoever setting up her cover the way he had – as _Natalie from legal_ – when she was about to go deep undercover in Stark Industries.

For years, those silver words on the bottom of her right foot had been a source of great confusion to her; then she'd become an expert at undercover work, and this scenario – this one right here that Coulson was freaking _setting up _– had wiggled its way into her imagination.

Coulson _had _to suspect something.

"If something goes south, it is all your fault, and I _will _kill you in your sleep for it," she informed him at their last meeting before she went in for her interview at SI – an interview that she was sure to ace… for one reason or another, it would appear.

He was totally unconcerned as he answered, "M-hm. And if what I think is going to happen happens, you owe me a steak dinner." Her suspicions confirmed, she swore at him and he rolled his eyes, informing her, "You'll want to save that for Stark. But, hey, at least you get to meet Pepper Potts before encountering the big man. She'll be the one conducting the interview."

Coulson handed her a file on the woman. Natasha had already seen it before, but she glanced over it again, raising her eyebrows in a silent question over the edge of the paper – _Is _she_ the reason you set this up? – _but he only gave her his most infuriatingly calm smile and said, "You'd better hurry, or you'll be late for your interview, Miss Rushman."

* * *

It was surprisingly not-hard for Natasha to appear nervous as she stepped into the office of the renowned Pepper Potts for her job interview as Natalie Rushman.

_Don't go there,_ she reminded herself. _This can't be about your words; it's about establishing your cover._

But when Miss Potts looked up from behind her desk, Natasha just couldn't quite help hedging at it when she offered, "Hi, I'm Natalie. From Legal? It's an honor to meet you, Miss Potts."

Pepper blinked, her expression going blank with the unexpected shock. Then… there it was: "I'm so glad to meet you, Natalie-from-legal; take a seat."

Natasha's breath caught for a second, because somehow she hadn't thought this far ahead yet. She hadn't considered the fact that she was going to have to continue her charade – to continue to lie to her platonic soulmate, the one person in the whole wide world that had from the start been deemed perfect to be her very best friend.

Even Natasha's tattered conscience flinched at the idea.

"Judging by your resume, I'd really like to have you in the company;" Pepper said with a tentative smile. "And judging by what you just said, I'd like to get to know you personally."

That twinge of Natasha's conscience morphed into a painful twist as she took the proffered seat.

But she was still a SHIELD agent and the job did have to go on... she could ask for forgiveness later.

* * *

When the job was over, Natasha walked away, but like she had ever other time before, like nothing was different this time than ever before. She'd seen the way Pepper had looked at her when the CEO had realized that she'd been lied to the whole time, and Natasha had automatically assumed that the other woman now wanted nothing to do with her, no matter how close they'd gotten even while Natalie stood in their way.

But then Pepper _called her_. Had Natasha been anyone else, this might not have been a big deal, but Natasha wasn't anyone else. She was a former-Red-Room, current-SHIELD agent; according to everyone outside the government, she didn't even _exist_.

So… "How did you get my number?" Natasha asked as soon as she answered her cell phone.

"Phil gave it to me. Relax superspy; I just want to talk."

Natasha was surprised by how surprised and _small _her voice came out as she asked, "You do?"

"Yeah." Natasha could hear the small smile in her friend's voice as she replied, "I thought we could do something fun. Tony wants to fly you back to Malibu so we can go to the beach one afternoon this week. Would that fit into your schedule?"

"I'll make it work," Natasha replied, unable to quite believe her luck as she asked, "How about Thursday?"

"Wonderful." It was as if Pepper could read her mind as she added before they hung up, "And hey, Natasha? Don't worry; I mean for it to be a good time."

* * *

And it was. As Natasha had anticipated, they sat on the beach and talked, having the conversation that her original deception had made necessary, but when they got that squared away, Pepper shrugged off the wrap she'd been wearing and dragged Natasha into the water.

They swam and laughed and shrieked, playing like children – something Natasha would dare say both of the professional women needed – until Pepper at least was worn out. Then they stumbled back to their beach towels and dried off.

That was when Natasha noticed the black words that looped like a necklace around the front of Pepper's neck.

"My makeup most have come off in the water," Pepper said when she noticed what Natasha was looking at. Then she said casually while eyeing her closely, like she suspected Natasha of something, "They're weird, right?"

Natasha shrugged, not really wanting to scare the friend that she felt she'd just gotten back, but really, what was she supposed to say about _So you're the lady who has a soft spot for Nats_?

The only thing she could even manage to think was _I wonder if this is what Coulson felt like?_


	3. Chapter 3

**(Nats) Pepper/Clint**

**Sequel to "Legal" that takes place during the Avengers movie as a sort of missing scene after the Battle of New York is over.**

* * *

It had been two years – two freaking _years _– since Natasha had met Pepper – her platonic soulmate – and she'd seen the other woman's soulmark concerning her romantic partner not long after that. And with words as odd as _So you're the lady who has a soft spot for nats, _Natasha didn't think that she was horribly out of line to think that she had a good idea of who that soulmate might be.

It wasn't like Pepper liked bugs or anything – she detested the little pests, as most people did – so Natasha's only other conclusion had been that "nats" referenced a person. A person like her, Natasha? Because if so, there was only one person on the planet who could get away with calling her "Nat" – and it had taken _this _to get the two of them in the same room together.

* * *

Pepper was a flurry of barely-controlled panic as a SHIELD agent guided her to SHIELD's infirmary and pointed out the room that she wanted.

"Stark and Agents Barton and Romanoff are in room A6," the man informed her before spinning and all but jogging away. After the events of today, he doubtlessly had better things to take care of then her.

So Pepper placed her hands on the cool steel door, took a deep breath to steady her emotions, and marched into the room, heading straight for Tony first.

"You almost _died_!" she cried, slapping him on the arm with her purse.

"But I didn't," he pointed out, overly cheerful even as he flinched away from her abuses.

"Yeah, well, you pull a stunt like that again, and I guarantee you you'll be dead – one way or the other, are we clear?"

She had expected some sarcastic response like "yes, warden," but what she got was an even more pathetic, "What about Romanoff; I'm not the only one who was being stupid – and _she's_ your soulmate, not me!"

At the surprised exclamations coming from numerous men around the room, Natasha rolled her eyes and declared loudly enough to be heard over them all, "It's a _platonic _bond, gutterbrains!"

That quieted them then, until the blonde man in the bed on the other side of Natasha – the poor man who had been under Loki's control, if she had the story correctly – said, "So you're the lady who has a soft spot for nats."

Those words, her _soulmark_ words, the words she'd started to give up on ever hearing – and they were coming from _Loki's puppet!_

_This day is going to be the death of me, _she thought – but what exploded out of her mouth as she whipped around to face him was even worse: "And you're the man who just blew up half of New York!"

He flinched like he'd just been slapped, his hand moving to his hip as if by some reflex as he said softly, "Yeah, I guess that is true now, isn't it?" Pepper opened her mouth to speak, to apologize probably, because whether they were his words or not, it had been an extremely cruel thing for her to say, given the circumstances – the bad day that they had _all _been having, but he beat her to it, muttering, "But I guess I'm a little something more than that, huh?"

Pepper blew out a quiet, shocked laugh, nodding her head even as she reminded herself to _breathe, Pepper_, but lord, this _day!_

"Hey, hey, hey!" Pepper didn't notice that her vision was getting fuzzy until Clint was suddenly scrambling out of his hospital bed and at her side, holding her steady in his strong arms. "Come here, sweetheart; lay down."

He led her to the edge of the bed he'd been lying in, but she protested lightly, declaring, "I'm fine; it's just a lot to take in... Wait a second!" her head snapped up as she forced herself to get a grip. "What am I saying? I am _fine_, Agent Barton – you are Agent Barton, aren't you?"

"Yeah."

"Then you're the one who needs to be lying down. I'm fine," she took an experimental step away from him to prove it and then gave his chest a firm shove, hoping to get him to go back to bed.

Tony broke in loudly, looking between Pepper and Clint as he asked, "What the heck is going on here?"

"Soulmate," Clint, Pepper, and Natasha answered all at once.

"You sure?" Tony asked, eyebrows raising as he pointed out, "Because this isn't exactly what meeting your soulmate is supposed to look like, is it?"

"Shut up, Stark," Clink ordered gruffly. His eyes hadn't turned from Pepper even once, and they still didn't now as he pointed out, "This day hasn't been a decent one by any angle you look at it from."

"Some people just happen to have gotten it worse than others," Natasha pointed out, giving Tony a look that indicated the he should _shut up_.

But when she spoke, it hit Clint, and he turned to his partner, accusing, "You _knew_?!"

"I had a _hunch_," Natasha corrected with a small, pleased smirk.

Clint opened his mouth to say something to that – probably something he would regret later, judging by the look on his face – and Pepper put her hand on his arm, suggesting, "Better late than never?"

He cast one more exasperated look Natasha's way before turning back to Pepper and muttering, "Yeah."

Pepper slid her hand carefully down his arm, tangling their fingers together and pressing her forehead against his as she whispered, "Are you okay?"

There was a tired smile on Clint's face as he murmured "better than ever" and tilted his chin forward to give her an experimental kiss. But Pepper didn't let herself get lost in it – not yet and certainly not here – for far too many reasons. One reason was Tony's obnoxious wolf whistle, the other was a more important matter.

Despite what Clint said, she'd seen the worry lines on his face, the cuts and burns that littered his body, and that near-dead look in his eyes that was only very slowly starting to seep away.

She may not know him yet, but he was her soulmate and she could tell that Clint was hardly "better than ever" right now – but he could be, given time. Tony kept his mouth shut when she kissed Clint again, letting herself linger for a moment before she laid her head on his shoulder and promised in a whisper, "We'll get you there."


	4. Chapter 4

**(Brave and Crazy) Pepper/Bruce**

**Takes place post-Avengers, with the idea that Tony, Natasha and Bruce caught up with Pepper in Malibu after seeing Thor and Loki off.**

* * *

"Pepper, you're never, ever, not ever going to believe who I found!" Tony was practically bouncing off the walls; Pepper could tell just by the tone of voice coming through the phone.

Not that his question made any sense whatsoever, considering what he and his new team had just been through. "What?!"

He'd obviously totally misinterpreted the meaning behind that question, because he blurt out, "My soulmates!"

"'Soulmate_s_?' Plural?" Pepper asked in confusion. "Tony, you're not part of a triad… are you?"

"No, silly, Platonic and romantic… and I gotta say they're both kinda hot!"

"Wait, wait, wait! I'm confused. You told me two years ago that you met your romantic soulmate and she walked away. That's why we've let the whole world assume _we're _soulmates."

"Yeah, about that… Did I never tell you that Natasha Romanoff was that soulmate? You know – Natalie Rushman? And that she's kind of one of the Avengers, which means that we've been working together here in New York… and she's decided to give me a chance instead of just assuming that I'm…"

Pepper smiled, truly glad for her boss as she cut off whatever description he might use by saying, "That's great, Tony."

And then came: "And I convinced them both to move into the Tower!"

* * *

_You're a brave, crazy man, Dr. Banner._

Those words had shown up along the curve of Bruce's spine when he was five years old, and though he was now well into his forties, no one had ever said them to him – which was nothing short of a miracle, considering the "other guy" and the sort of life Bruce led.

Finding out that Tony Stark was his platonic soulmate and agreeing to move in with the man honestly barely ranked on the list – but someone apparently placed it higher up there than he did.

Bruce looked studiously around the entryway of Tony's house in Malibu, pointedly ignoring the sexual banter Tony and Natasha were tossing back and forth in front of him as they waltzed down the hallway. He was being just as thoroughly ignored as he kept his back to the hallway, staring instead at an abstract painting that hung on the white walls.

Then he heard the click of high heels and an exasperated sigh as someone bypassed Tony and Natasha in the hall, and muttered as they came towards him, "You're a brave, crazy man, Dr. Banner."

He whipped around towards her so fast that his head nearly spun – and he came horribly close to falling flat on his face when he recognized the woman who had spoken. How was he not supposed to recognize her; she was Pepper freaking Potts, and it was common knowledge that she was Tony's soulmate – or one of Tony's soulmates, Bruce had assumed!

So he blurted out, "And you're Tony Stark's soulmate!"

Pepper blinked – once, twice – and then shook her head a little, apparently trying to clear her thoughts so that she could speak. One of them certainly needed to clear up this situation!

"No," she said instantly. "I'm not, actually. We let people think so, especially once Tony met Natasha. You may have figured out that they haven't always been on the best of terms?" Bruce nodded and Pepper continued explaining, "Rather than have Tony's name smeared by the media, we did a little bit of playing up of the relationship between the two of us – which is not at all a romantic one – so that word about Natasha – or how very single Tony was – never got out." Pepper shrugged, saying, "But now she's back… so I guess that means I'm free to stop being a fake soulmate."

"Good," Bruce said, impulsively pulling her to him.

She gasped, the clipboard he hadn't noticed she'd been carrying falling to the floor with a loud clatter as her hands landed on his chest instead. She licked her lips nervously, a smile tilting her mouth, and good lord, he now understood why Tony and Natasha were acting the way they were! Without a second thought on the matter, he kissed her and she responded hungrily.

They didn't break apart until an unwelcome voice seemed to come from the walls, saying, "Miss Potts? Mr. Stark has told me to ask you to show Dr. Banner to his quarters."

"You're going to show me to my room?" Bruce repeated, looking suggestively at his soulmate.

Pepper's answer was written all over her gorgeous face as she replied, "With pleasure."


	5. Chapter 5

**(Right Now) Pepper/Steve**

**Takes place post-Avengers and is slightly AU considering Thor's presence.**

* * *

Polite.

Pepper liked polite; you learned to appreciate polite people when you spent as much time with Tony Stark as she did. Personally, she always strived to remain tactful, professional, and polite. And even though she hadn't met him yet, she knew for a fact that her soulmate was polite.

After all, only a polite, gentlemanly man would still say "evening, ma'am," in this day and age.

There were, however, days – moments in time – when Pepper Potts had no desire whatsoever to remain tactful, professional, or least of all polite.

For example: when Jarvis woke her up at two a.m. _just after she'd finally fallen asleep_, and declared that Tony had returned. She had spent the past seventy-two hours after the conclusion of the Battle of New York here in Tony's Malibu mansion, not even able to doze as she anxiously awaited word on her boss and friend. Exhaustion had finally won out over anxiety… and Jarvis had woken her within a half-hour.

Couldn't Tony wait for a sane hour to – if not show up – then to make his presence known!

Irritated didn't even begin to cover what she was feeling. As she stalked off of the elevator and into the living room where she had been told Tony was waiting, Pepper Potts was _furious_.

And that was _before _she turned the corner and realized that Tony was not even alone in the room. Shock was a nice damper on her anger as she recognized the unexpected guest. All six of the Avengers were currently sprawled around the room at two in the morning, and you'd better believe she had something to say about it!

"Tony Stark, you are a dead man."

Her tone was flat and deadly and she meant every word she said, but Tony didn't seem to register that as he waltzed over to her and slung an arm around her shoulders with a smile.

"Hey, Pepper!" he said so jovially that she began to wonder if he was still running on adrenaline or just plain drunk. Because right now, in her mind, no one, not even Tony Stark, was aloud to be that upbeat at this hour without an excellent reason. "Come meet the team," Tony beckoned, pulling her further into the room. Unlike Tony, "the team" seemed to realize her disgruntlement and tried their best to give her space as Tony continued, "Guys, this is Pepper! Pepper," he gestured to each person in turn, "You remember Natasha? This is her soulmate, Clint, and that's Thor. He's an actual freaking _god_! Then there's Bruce, who speaks my language! And that's Steve; he's Captain America. And they're going to live here with us until further notice!"

"What?!" Pepper screeched, all but seeing red at that alarming declaration.

"Oh, come on, Pep," Tony cajoled, finally realizing she was out of sorts. "Just say 'hi' to everybody, then do your mothering thing and send them off to bed."

"Hi, everybody," Pepper parroted dryly to Tony, still glaring at him.

Considering the obvious disdain in her voice, Captain Rogers was the only one brave – or was it stupid? – enough to address her, saying hesitantly, "Evening, ma'am."

At that point, though, she was so distraught that she told him exactly what she thought, crying, "It is two a.m.; that is not morning!" she stopped just shy of verbally slaughtering him and forced herself to calm down just enough to realize that Tony had a point; these superheroes looked like they were half-asleep on their feet –probably about how she looked right now, now that she thought about it – so she changed the words she said, if not her tone as she ordered, "All of your team is going to go to bed right now! You all look exhausted!"

Expressions changed all over the room at her nearly bipolar outburst – Steve obviously being the most shocked of all at what she'd just said – and Pepper slowly felt her own jaw slacken as she realized what had just happened. She was too dead on her feet to even pretend to properly process the event, though, and she would bet solid money that the Avengers were in the same boat as her.

The very thought had some of her "mothering thing" kicking in, enough for her to ask, "Jarvis, could you give Clint, Natasha, Thor, and Bruce directions to rooms for the night?" Before anyone could say anything about Steve, she took full advantage of her sleep deprivation excuse – because there was no way she'd be handling meeting her soulmate this way otherwise – and declared, "Captain, you're with me."

Steve's jaw aimed even further floor-ward before he managed to stammer with a surprised, if not a little hopeful, glint in his eye, "What? Already? Right now?"

"I assure you, Captain, I'm not normally like this – impulsive or rude – so you may want to take advantage of the offer right now before I get a good night's sleep and become sensible again. It's up to you."

"I, ah, I think I could handle that," Steve decided hesitantly, his eyes sweeping over her before he blinked, seeming to draw himself back into coherent thoughts before he swallowed and asked as he moved to stand in front of her, "Are you sure you don't want that sleep first though? You look like you've been through a ringer too, doll."

"Nah," Pepper swept his concern aside as she took his had, staring up into those _eyes _as she pointed out, "I've got more important things on my mind right now. Besides that, I've been three days without sleep; what's one more night?"

Steve's grin turned into an expression that Pepper knew she had never before associated with _Captain America _as he replied, "I can agree with that."

The sleep deprivation was doing ridiculous things to both of them, and they both knew it – or maybe it was simply the whole soulmate thing – but right now that was okay. Regardless of how horrified they were both eventually going to be over their current behavior, right now – _this _moment in time – was really all that mattered, and Pepper barely had the presence of mind to pull Steve into the elevator with her and away from prying eyes before he was on her.


	6. Chapter 6

**(My Lady) Pepper/Thor**

**Takes place in a slightly AU version of the Avengers' Loki-and-Thor send-off scene because it's kinda necessary for Pepper to be present in a Pepper-centric fic, you know? I know that a lot of fics have Asgardian soulmarks coming about differently then "Midgardian" ones, but for this fic we're saying that Asgardian soulmarks work the same way as Midgardian ones and are, apparently, even universal so that Thor and Pepper are soulmates.**

* * *

Pepper really didn't want to be here. She hadn't met any of the Avengers or truly been surrounded by the battle they'd gone through, and she would've rather stayed out of it entirely. She would've done so too, had Tony not already been showing signs of PTSD – she knew what that looked like on him from previous experience thanks to his Middle Eastern "vacation" – which led her to believe it might not be such a good idea for him to be around Loki without "adult" supervision… which almost always meant hers or Rhodey's accompaniment. No need to bother Rhodey when she could just woman up and go herself, especially since it was just going to be a little visit in the park to beam Thor and Loki back up to Asgard, right?

So here she was post-well… everything, warily staring at Thor's chained and muzzled brother as she kept herself all but glued to her boss's side.

Thor went around the little circle that Pepper and Dr. Selvig had formed with the other five Avengers, giving each of them in turn a handshake or man-hug. Tony was the last one that Thor stopped in front of, but Pepper hardly noticed. She didn't quite dare take her eyes off of Loki; he was a magician and the god of mischief, lies, and trickery, after all.

Once he had given Tony's hand a hardy shake, Thor's eyes flickered down to take her in, pale and on edge as she knew she was, before he followed her line of sight.

He sighed, suddenly looking like a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders as he murmured, "Many apologies for whatever distress my brother has caused you, Lady Pepper."

Pepper didn't question how he knew her name – Tony had probably mentioned her – because she was too caught up in what he'd just said. What he had said were the exact same words – the very Shakespearian words – that zigzagged between her shoulder blades.

She felt whatever little bit of color had been left in her face flee as she took a shocked step back. Thor's arms snapped up as if to catch her should she pass out, but she took a steadying breath and her vision cleared before she gave him a brazen once over. And then color flooded her cheeks as she realized that she had yet to say anything in reply.

So she tried to play her nerves off with flippancy, saying with a smile that suddenly felt natural, given the circumstances, "Don't worry about me; I'm fine, Sir Thor."

"Prince Thor, actually," he muttered, eyes blowing wide with shock and then melting with adoration as he scooped her delicate hands up into his huge ones. "Which, I am afraid, my lady, is quite unfortunate."

"Why?" she asked, suddenly feeling nervous. Did his being a prince imply some sort of reason that they couldn't be together despite being soulmates?

"Because being royalty means it is more necessary for me to fulfill my responsibilities then it might otherwise be. I must leave you for now and return Loki to Asgard for his trial and judgment. But I swear upon my life that I shall return for you."

"And I'll be here waiting," she promised just as quickly. "It's okay; I understand. I have responsibilities too." She glanced pointedly towards Tony and Thor nodded in understanding. "You take care of your man, I'll take care of mine, and I'll see you when I see you. I've waited for over forty years to be with my soulmate, I can wait a little longer."

Thor grinned and it struck Pepper that he had been waiting for her real _centuries _longer than that. "Thank you for understanding. I shall return to you at the very earliest that I am able."

Then without warning, he tugged her into his arms and gave her a searing kiss. By the time Pepper could think straight again, she had just enough time to see Thor and Loki each grasp one end of the tesseract. The god of thunder looked straight at her, mouthed "I love you, my lady," and then was gone.

"I love you too," Pepper whispered into the air.


	7. Chapter 7

**(Not Broken) Pepper/Bucky**

**This last one-shot (which wasn't even in the plan when I was writing the other six) is entirely the fault of ozhawk and all the Bucky feels I got from her story "You Need To Trust Me." I'm glad you guys enjoyed the other six one-shots; hopefully you like this too! Takes place post-TWS.**

* * *

Pepper hated him. Ever since she'd been old enough to understand why she had those mean words tucked away on her inner left thigh, she'd hated the man who would one day say them to her. How could she not hate someone who said when they first looked at her, "_You're nothing but a broken piece of worthless scum_"?

It was tough, growing up and living a life knowing that was the sort of meeting that was in her future. A lesser person might've let it cripple them in some ways, but not Pepper. She spent her life proving him – whoever he was – dead wrong, and making sure that the people in her life never felt that they were worthless either.

In dealing with the Avengers, seeing their well-hidden issues day in and day out, she thought she'd gotten pretty good at that, but then Steve brought Bucky Barnes to live in the Tower, and when the obviously-scarred man continuously dodged every effort made to help him, Pepper – along with most everyone else was truly at a loss of what to do. How could they help a man who ran when someone so much as opened their mouth to speak to him?

* * *

After a couple of months of his being an almost-ghost in Avengers Tower, nearly everyone had taken the hint and started leaving him alone, for which Bucky was extremely grateful. Except for Steve, Bucky's platonic soulmate. That little punk never gave up on anything, according to Bucky's rapidly returning memories. He was always there, even in the after-throes of Bucky's nightmares, when he was well-known to be at his most dangerous. Steve would hear Bucky screaming, run into the room, and scream right back at him from a semi-safe distance until Bucky woke, then America's first superhero would drop down onto the edge of the bed and gently demand, "Tell me what happened."

And eventually, Bucky got to the point where he would. He'd take a deep breath and stare away from Steve, repeating whatever had been in his dream, knowing he needed to get it out, regardless of how much he was hurt by the memory of each lifeless mark, bloody fight, or dehumanizing statement.

And it helped, at least a little.

Bucky was getting better every day, yet Steve still worried. He claimed that Bucky was depressed, nostalgic… lonely… and he was right. Both of them knew it – but Steve didn't know _all _of _why _Bucky felt that way. He hadn't told _anyone _about the that one change he'd noticed, and he come pretty close to threatening Banner's life to make sure that the change _stayed _under wraps. Bucky himself hadn't realized until he'd gotten here and been taking his first hot shower since the '40s that he had gained a black soulmark at some point. Then Steve had dragged him down to Banner for a complete physical, but the two men were the only ones who knew about Bucky's… development.

After that day, Bucky had found himself missing someone he'd never even met – and since Steve was inadvertently part of the problem, Bucky wasn't about to mention it to him. It wasn't that he begrudged Steve the fact that he had two romantic soulmates, let alone that he'd found them in Clint and Natasha… it was just that after living a cold, regimented life for so long, part of Bucky wanted his own version of that. The selfish part of him, that was; he knew better than to think that any woman deserved to have to deal with him as he was right now… regardless of whether or not she thought that _"You're not broken, you know."_

But knowing that it was selfish to want to meet his soulmate didn't stop how it sometimes hurt to watch Steve with his soulmates, nor did it stop that little corner of Bucky's mind from continuing to wish. But he was a man who had lived his entire conscious life without any soulmate at all, content with nothing more than Steve's friendship, and he was just going to have to remember that.

* * *

_Movie night never can just be simple around here, can it?_ Pepper thought, sighing as she stepped off of the elevator and onto the level shared by Steve, Clint, Natasha, and Bucky. Steve and Natasha were already downstairs on the common floor, Bucky never came to movie nights, and so Pepper had come up in search of Clint – which was when she heard the first scream.

_Bucky_, she realized, starting to run towards the Winter Soldier's room. Good lord knew what she was going to do for him – he'd never been around her long enough for her to even speak to him yet – but she had to try something!

* * *

Bucky woke himself up with the noise of his own pained screams. His heavy breathing was beginning to even out when he heard someone skid to a stop in the doorway – out of his line of sight, but his exhausted brain thought only, _who else could it be but Steve?_

Deciding to skip a few steps in their post-nightmare ritual, Bucky stared up at the ceiling and muttered the words from his nightmare that were still ringing in his ears. Words that he'd heard from his handlers countless times to his face: "You're nothing but a broken piece of worthless scum."

But the gasp he heard at his words was far too feminine to come from Steve, and he snapped upright, nearly giving himself whiplash as he turned towards the door. Pepper Potts was standing there in the doorway, mouth uncharacteristically agape and looking like he'd just slapped her. And somehow he _knew_.

_"__You're not broken, you know."_

His soulmark words – the words he'd needed to hear more than he needed air to breathe – and from what he knew of her, Miss Potts would be the exact type of woman to say them.

He'd anticipated reacting a dozen different ways when he met his soulmate – but panic wasn't one of them.

Yet, if he was truly going to make a go at being a good man again, he'd do what was best for her, not take the chance of her saying his words, and get out of this situation before she could. He was six blocks away from what was meant to be a _very _personal connection before he realized that he was running from her… and he kept right on doing it. He didn't deserve someone like her, and now that he'd figured out who his soulmate was, he knew for a fact that she didn't deserve someone who was – despite what she obviously thought – as broken as he was.

* * *

Her words. Bucky Barnes had just blurted her words out of the middle of nowhere and then ran away at speeds that only a super soldier could manage.

Well, in that case, Pepper could run too – and she did, straight down to Steve, Tony, and the others. She burst into the room just in time to see Clint clamber down from the air vents, not that she noticed as she cried, "Steve! Bucky! He ran!"

Natasha sprang from Steve's lap in tandem with Steve flying up from the couch as he repeated, "Ran? As in gone? Gone where?"

"I don't know," Pepper said, feeling mortifyingly close to tears. "West, maybe?"

"I'll go west, then; Tony, go south with Bruce; Thor go north; Clint, Tasha, go east."

"Steve, wait," Pepper said softly, laying a hand on his arm. "I need to talk to you."

Steve gave her a questioning look but nodded, calling out, "Tasha, you go west; I'll catch up." Sixty seconds later, the level was clear of everyone but Pepper and Steve, and he, seeing how overwhelmed she was, gestured her into a chair before asking, "What is it?"

"Bucky," she croaked. "Right before he ran off – he leapt through the window!" she realized with absent-minded shock.

"He does that now," Steve said patiently, prompting her to get back to her point.

"He, ah, said my soulmark words. He must've seen it on my face, because I never even got to reply before he was gone."

"Pepper," Steve said carefully. "Buck doesn't have words other than mine."

"How do you know? Yours for Clint and Natasha only showed up while you were in the ice; who's to say he didn't get words while with Hyrda?" Pepper knew she was being sharp with him, but if Bucky wasn't her soulmate, then why would he randomly say such a cruel thing?

"She's right, Captain," Jarvis, the unseen ear in every conversation, piped up. "Lieutenant Barnes' health evaluation, as performed by Dr. Banner revealed that he now has a soulmark. Barnes firmly demanded that the doctor not publicize the information."

Steve sighed, then took a deep breath and moved to stand, muttering, "Alright then."

"There's one more thing," Pepper requested hesitantly. "Why would he tell me I was 'a broken piece of worthless scum'?"

"What?" Steve murmured in shock. "Tell me exactly how this happened, because that's not like him at all."

"I went up to find Clint; he wasn't there, but I heard Bucky screaming in his room, so I ran in to see if I could help. He looked like he'd just women up from a nightmare; he never even looked at me, just stared at the ceiling and said my words. I gasped, he looked at me, and then… it looked like he just panicked and ran."

Realization dawned on Steve's face as he said slowly, still looking like he was treading carefully now that they thought Pepper and Bucky might be soulmates, "If he was having a nightmare, what he said probably wasn't directed towards you; it was more than likely a statement that someone directed towards _him_."

Pepper felt her tears brimming ever closer to the surface – this time for Bucky's sake – as she asked, "Why do you think that? And why would anyone tell him that?"

"Because his handlers were b-," Steve clamped his mouth shut and Pepper recognized the habit as his stopping himself from saying a word that he would deem "inappropriate in front of a lady." "They were cruel. As for why Bucky would repeat them, it's a tactic that Sam Wilson told me about to help manage the nightmares and PTSD. I can explain more about all of that, but right now, finding Bucky is top priority."

"Of course," Pepper said, jumping up. "But I'm coming with you."

"Someone needs to stay here in case he returns."

"Jarvis-"

"Still puts him on edge. The team will find him. Really, I promise, the best thing you can do is stay here and wait for him to come back."

Still feeling a million things - now including disgruntled with Steve – Pepper dropped back onto the couch – and waited… and waited… and waited. For nearly a week, Bucky evaded detection, and certainly the Tower.

But that's not to say that Pepper didn't put her time to good use. Every spare minute she had, she spent studying – everything she could learn about Bucky, including what Steve could tell her, and even things that she thought might be able to help her help her soulmate once he returned. Bruce even offered to tell her what Bucky's soulmark said, but Pepper didn't want to know; she didn't want to force this or cheat fate just because the pieces _looked _like they fit into place.

But she also knew exactly what she wanted to say to Bucky when he did return – the words she was certain he most needed to hear, whether or not they were _his _words.

But still… what if they were?

* * *

Bucky took a deep breath and slammed his flesh hand against the exterior of Avenger's Tower, wincing when it actually hurt. He was over thinking this far too much. She hadn't even spoken to him before he'd ran away – run on a mere suspicion, really – and he'd been gone six days; Steve was bound to be half-insane with worry... but then he had Natasha and Clint to keep him relatively calm.

And _that _thought brought him back around to the _but what if Pepper _is _my soulmate _conundrum. Because, for one thing, if she was, that meant she had lived her entire life with the words "you're nothing but a broken piece of worthless scum" emblazoned on her skin, and no one deserved that. The very idea made him sick to his stomach, made him want to tell her just how invaluable everyone in the Tower – practically in the whole world – knew she was.

For another thing, if she was his soulmate, then… well, _she was his soulmate!_

There was only one way to find out, he reminded himself with a sigh, and it wasn't by standing outside the Tower thinking. It was by walking in there, marching into her office, and giving her the chance to _talk _to him.

So he took another deep breath and made himself do just that. He took the elevator up to the common level and cringed while asking the ceiling – or more accurately the thing that the others called Jarvis – "Where's Miss Potts?"

"Two levels up in her office on her private floor. She's been anxious for your return, as have the others. Shall I tell her you're coming?"

"No," Bucky said, getting back in the elevator as he asked, "Where are the Avengers?"

"They've been called away by Maria Hill… something about the amount of explosions that have recently occurred in the Avenger's sector of the Tower exceeding "even more than what Stark and Banner can cause alone."

Bucky winced, admitting, "I may have had something to do with that – it's all the new technology that's being flung at me."

If electronics could ever be sarcastic, this talking whatever-it-was was exactly that as he deadpanned, "Technology like _the toaster_? Although I suppose I should give you credit for that; not even Mr. Stark had managed to make a toaster explode yet. I believe your accomplishing it caused him to take it as a personal challenge."

Bucky scowled, resisting the urge to shoot the ceiling – then the elevator doors slid open on Pepper's level, and the thought crossed his mind to wonder if Jarvis' prattle had simple been to keep Bucky calm. "Thanks," he muttered under his breath instead, stepping out and marching towards Pepper's office.

* * *

Hearing what sounded like someone approaching her office, Pepper jolted up out of her chair when she saw Bucky shifting nervously from one foot to the other in the doorway. Her breathing quickened and she planted her suddenly hot palms on the cool surface of her desk to stay upright while the two of them just stared at one another. Then his mouth lifted in a half-smile that looked more like a grimace and she realized that he was waiting for her to speak. It was her turn, after all…

So she blurted them out – the only words that she felt were important for him to hear, regardless of whether or not they were soulmates – especially after what Steve had explained to her about why Bucky had said what _he_ had.

"You're not broken, you know."

Tears instantly sprang to his eyes as he stared at her, running a hand over his face as his smile became more genuine and she _knew_. Deep inside she had known since he'd ran from her a week ago, but now they were here, those five words hanging between them, with him looking at her like that – much like she had to be staring at him – and she _knew_.

"Yeah," he said in a voice cracked with tears as he moved towards her. "Yeah, I know, beautiful."

She darted from behind her desk, belatedly realizing that they were _both _crying as she met him in the middle of the room and threw her arms around him. He held her tight and kissed her hair. Then he whispered near her ear, "And just so you know, neither are you."


	8. Chapter 8

**(Professional Babysitters) Pepper/Nick Fury**

**I wasn't going to do anymore of these, but then I saw this pairing on ozhawk's poll of potential crackships and the idea just hit me. So… here you have it. Enjoy! Takes place post-Avengers, pre-CA:TWS.**

* * *

Nick Fury's one good eye blazed as he looked over the row of adult children that the world liked to refer to as the Avengers – they were called _superheroes_, even – while he raged, "_Nothing _that happened today was acceptable! I have senators, representatives, the entire World Council, and the president of the United States blowing up my _personal home _phone lines! The better half of Hell's Kitchen is a winter wonderland, I have some peon law student trying to sue the lot of you for every cent each of you own, and the entirety of this country is now in a panic over Frosty the Snowman's deranged step-cousin!"

"I'm afraid that tracking the travels and plans of the Jotun people has proven particularly difficult for Asgardians and Midgardians alike," Thor broke in.

"And in all fairness," Captain Rogers added, "I think it's acceptable that there were no fatalities, only cases of frostbite."

"You took the creeps down with _literal laser guns_!" Nick roared.

"But we _did _take them out," Barton muttered.

At the same time, Dr. Banner declared sardonically, "Apparently a race of ice monsters are adverse to heat."

Nick forced himself to take a breath – he didn't want to be responsible for a Hulk-out, after all – before he seethed, "What do you people need? Therapy? Jail time? A full-time babysitter?!"

"We already have one of those," Stark sulkily declared under his breath.

Romanoff added, "And she's even on her way here right now."

He thought sourly, _To pick up her miscreant teenagers? _

Before he could say the words aloud, the click of heels on tile heralded the arrival of someone outside his office. A put-together woman that Nick recognized as Pepper Potts breezed in, declaring, "She's here now." She marched confidently up to Nick and shook his hand firmly, apologizing, "Sorry I'm late, director. I'm afraid I got held up in an SI meeting."

Nick froze, his big hand inadvertently tightening on her smaller one as he replied, "I understand. At least you're here now… and you're the Avengers professional babysitter."

Her jaw slackened for a split second before she answered, "So I've heard."

Stark caught on first to what was happening, yelling, "Oh, no way!" and cussing such a colorful blue streak that even Nick looked his way.

"Hey, Tony?" Pepper said conversationally.

Nick arched an eyebrow and chimed in with her, the two of them chorusing together, "Shut up."

Nick smiled, showing as much of his humanity as he dared in front of the Avengers, as he murmured to Pepper, "I think I'm going to like having you around, Miss Potts."

The director's soulmate shared none of his concerns about their audience as she suddenly wound her arms around his neck and kissed him, declaring, "You'd better."

He chuckled, throwing caution to the wind as he gave her a quick peck on the lips. Yeah, he was definitely going to enjoy having his soulmate in his life.

Although he got the feeling that it might come at the cost of becoming a professional Avengers' babysitter himself. For his soulmate, though… he decided he could learn to live with that.


End file.
